Friction-clutch.



F. l. LEMLEY.

FRICTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION mio Amm, 1915.

Patented May 23,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l'.

F. J. LEMLEY.

Y FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APILZ. 1915.

1,18J=,542.v Patented May 23,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FREDERICK J'. LEMLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed April 2, 1915. Serial N o. 18,789.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. LEnLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Olutches, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has referencev to certain improvements in friction clutches of that general type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,055,192, issued March 1, 1913. In the said Letters Patent, there are disclosed constructions making use of toggle levers which are so pivoted as to swing toward and from the axis of rotation. These levers serve when in their extended position to produce a clamping relationship between the driving and driven elements for the purpose of frictionally connecting these parts together. Ordinarily the levers are connected'to thedriving element and rotate continually. There is thus produced or set up in them centrifugal forces, which forces tend to throw the levers out in their extended position, thereby producing the clamping action. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means for so locking the parts when in their unclutched position that the levers cannot throw out under the centrifugal action into the extended or clutching position. This will prevent an automatic clutching action from taking place at a time when it is not desired.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the clutch as a whole by so arranging the parts that a greater amount of mechanical advantage can be secured for swinging the levers. This will enable the operator to secure anv extremely tight and firm clutchingv action without the necessity of exerting a very large operating force. Ordinarily, in a device of this kind, the parts may be so arranged that a considerable amount of movement of the operating handle can be secured, and the present object has reference to the application of such movement `inthe most advantageous manner for the production of the clamping action.

Other objects and uses will appear from a detailed description of the invention which consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 shows a cross section through one form of clutch construction embodying the features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows, being on an enlargedscale; Fig. t is an enlarged detail view of a modied construction of lock ing mechanism; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direcY tion of the arrows; and Fig. 6 is a modilied forni of connection between the sliding collar and the toggle links.

Referring to the several figures, l have shown a clutch construction which is adapted to control the delivery of power from the shaft 6 to the pulley 7. The shaft 6 rotates continuously, and the clutch serves to control the'connecting and disconnecting of the pulley to the shaft. On the shaft is driv ingly mounted a sleeve S which has the annular flange 9. The. pulley has the sleeve 10 which is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 8 and has the annular flange 11. The collar 12 is slidingly mounted on the sleeve 8 outside of the sleeve 10, and the extreme end of the sleeve 8 cai'ries'the collar 13. This latter collar is connected to the sleeve 8 in any desired manner as by a threaded connection. It will be observed that the collar 13 and flange 9 remain a fixed distance apart, whereas the sleeve 12 may be slid back and forth with respect to the fiange 12 and the collar 13.

The bell cranks 111 are pivoted to the collar 12. Each bell crank has the short arm 15, which may engage the inner face of the collar 13, and has the long arm 1G which may swing toward and away from the axis of rotation.

On the shaft 6 or an extension thereof, is slidingly mounted the sleeve 17. The collar 12 and the sleeve 17 rotate with and are preferably driven by the shaft 6, so that they maintain a fixed angular position with respect to each other. The long arms 16 of the bell cranks are connected to the sleeve 17 by means o-f links, so that, when the sleeve is forced towardY the collar 13, the arms 16 of the bell cranks will be forced away from the axis of rotation, thereby tilting the bell cranks, causing the short arms 15 to coperate with the collar 13, and thereby engaging said arm against the collar to carry the col! lar 12 toward the flange 9. This will serve to clamp the driven element between the collar 12 and flange 9, thus establishing the driving connection. Y

As a simple means for forcing the sleeve 17 back and forth, I have shown said sleeve as provided with an annular slot 18. lVithin this slot is seated the inner ring 19 of a hand wheel 20. The hand wheel may remain stationary while the sleeve 17 rotates, but'by forcing the hand wheel back and forth the sleeve will be controlled in the desired manner.

The constructions thus far outlined substantially conform to the disclosures of the aforementioned Letters Patent No. 1,055,192. In the present case, I have so formed the links connecting the collar 17 with the bell crank arm 16 as to materially increase the mechanical advantage exerted between the collar 17 and the bell cranks. In the present case, I have provided the links 21 connecting the arms 16 to the sleeve 17. In the constructions of the said Letters Patent, the

` links do not pass the axis of rotation, but

each link lies entirely to one side of the axis of rotation. As a result the possible length of the links is very limited. In the present case, I have so related the parts that each link may be carried from the corresponding arm 16 to a connection with the sleeve 17 at the opposite side of the axis of rotation. The result'is that the length of the links is very materially increased.

Referring to Fig. 3, the preferred form of the links 21 and their connection to the sleeve 17 will, be readily understood. Each of the bell cranks 16 preferably lies in the plane which includes the axis of rotation. Each link is preferably bent or offset in such a way that its operating end 22 may pass the shaft. In the particular construc-V tion illustrated, the sleeve 17 has its opposite sides flattened. The links lie against these flattened portions. The sleeve has a pair of lugs 28, which provide slots or recesses for the accommodation of the end portions 22 of the links. A pin 24 is run through each side of the sleeve and through the end 22 of the corresponding link. Each pin 24 has the enlarged head 25 seating into a recess of the sleeve, and a Cotter pin 26 ,may be extended through the other end of each pin 24 to hold the same in place. In the arrangement just described, each of the links will find a very firm Vand secure bearing with respect to the sleeves, being supported on its inner face by the flattened portion of the sleeve and onits outer face by the presence of the corresponding lug 28.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the lugs 23 are dispensed with and each link is supported only by the flattened surface of the sleeve.

Manifestly, with the arrangements above described, the length of the links may be very materially increased, the permissible increase amounting from 50 to 100%. This will enable the production of a very much more powerful'clutching action with the exertion of a given amount of force on the hand wheel. It will be understood that the hand wheel does not serve the function of rotating any part, but simply serves as a convenient means for forcing the sleeve 17 back and forth.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 5, the plate 27 is connected to the front portion of the hand wheel, as by means of the screws 28 which pass into the arms 29 of the hand wheel. On one side of the shaft or an extension thereof, this plate is provided with an enlargement 30, within which a pin31 is slidingly mounted. This enlargement has a radial opening or bore, the outer portion of which communicates with a front slot 31. A pin 32 is slidingly mounted within the bore, and has a thumb block or lug 33 which extendsV through the slot, and by means of which the movements of the pin may Vbe controlled. The outer end of the bore is closed by a plug 34, and a spring 35 is interposed between the pin and plug so as to force the pin toward the axial center.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the I shaft 6 is illustrated as terminating within the sleeve 17, there'being an extension pin 36 of relatively small size projecting from the end of the shaft. The outer end of the sleeve slides on lthis extension pin. The pin 36 terminates at such point that, when the hand wheel is pulled out to effect the'un- Vclutching operation, the pin 32 may be forced down outside ofthe end of the pin 36, so that by this engagement the Vsleeve will be prevented from sliding in toward the pulley under the influence of centrifugal force generated in the arms 36. When the operator desires to clutch the parts together, he may disengage the pin l32 by manipulation of the thumb piece 33.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, I have illustrated the pin 36 as being provided with a cone-shaped sleeve 37. In this case, the engagement of the pin is against the outer shouldered face in this sleeve instead of against the end of the pin 36 or the shaft.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the features of the invention particularly illustrated and described except as I may do so in the claims, but that, on the other hand, I contemplate within the scope of my invention any equivalent constructions operating in equivalent manners to produce equivalent results.

I claim: Y

1. In a device of the class describedYV the combination with a driving element having a fixed abutment and a slidable abutment, and a driven element mountedon thedriving element between said xed and slidable abutments, of an annular collar secured to the driving element at a given distance from the fixed abutment, toggle levers on the slidable abutment having arms adapted to engage said collar, a sleeve slidably mounted with respect to the collar, and links extending from the free arms of the toggle levers past the axis of rotation of the driving member to points of connection with said sleeve, whereby said links are of greater length than the radial distance from the axis of rotation to the free arms of the toggle levers.

2. In a device of the class described the combination with a driving element having a fixed abutment and a slidable abutment, and a driven element loosely mounted on the driving element between said iixed and slidable abutments, of an annular collar secured to the driving element at a given distance from the fixed abutment, toggle levers pivotally connected to the slidable abutment, a sleeve slidably mounted with respect to the annular collar whereby it may be forced toward and, away from the same, and links connecting the free arms of the toggle levers to the sleeve at points farther removed from the free arms of the toggle levers than the radial distance from the toggle levers to the axis of rotation.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a driving element having two xed abutments with annular surfaces facing each other, a driven element loosely mounted on the driving element between said abutments, and a slidable abutment slidably mounted on the driving element between one of the abutments and the driven element, of a sleeve slidably mounted with respect to the driving element, toggle levers pivotally connected to the slidable abutment and each having an arm in position to engage the adjacent fixed abutment, and links connecting the free arms ofthe toggle levers with the sleeve at points removed from the free arms of the toggle levers a greater distance than the radial distance from the toggle levers to the axis of rotation.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a driving element having a clutch face, and a driven element movably mounted adjacent to said clutch face and adapted to engage the same, of a sleeve movably lmounted with respect to the driving element, means for carrying the driven element into engagement with the driving element, and an operative connection from the sleeve past the center of rotation to the carrying means for the purpose of connecting the same to the sleeve, whereby said operative connection is of greater length than the radial distance from the axis of rotation to the carrying means, substantially as described.

FREDERICK J. LEMLEY. Witnesses:

WM. P. BOND, THOMAS A. BANNING, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C." 

